Two thirds of the CFL season is complete, so what better time to look ahead to the off-season?

Yes, it's time to play: Which Quarterback Would You Protect?

The Ottawa Redblacks will pluck players off the rosters of the other eight teams on Dec. 16 -- less than three months from now -- and those squads are able to protect only one quarterback. Most of them are obvious, but some scenarios have become a little more juicy lately considering how well the young backup quarterbacks have played.

There are other factors involved, like potential free agency, salary and age, so it becomes an interesting discussion. If a player's a free agent, Ottawa might be wary about taking him since he'll have a chance to leave two months later.

Let's take a look at all eight teams, going from west to east, and see what we can determine.

B.C. Lions

There's no doubt the Lions will be protecting Travis Lulay, even if Thomas DeMarco did walk into the hornet's nest that is Mosaic Field and win his first CFL start on Sunday. Rather impressive. If DeMarco puts up a few more performances like that, he could join the list of QBs that will no doubt pique Ottawa's interest. There's a good chance he's a free agent, however, since he signed with the Lions in May 2012.

Calgary Stampeders

Bo Levi Mitchell is technically their third-string quarterback, but he is their pivot of the future and will be protected in the expansion draft. Drew Tate can't stay healthy, while Kevin Glenn is not their quarterback of the future. He's a darn good backup and insurance policy, and that's why Ottawa should be interested if he's available.

Edmonton Eskimos

Mike Reilly is the man there now and for years to come. Yes, the Esks are 3-9, but he's in his first year as a starter and he's second in the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He has Jonathan Crompton and Kerry Joseph behind him, so it's unlikely the Redblacks will be looking Edmonton's way.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

There are no doubt fans in Saskatchewan right now who want Darian Durant put on the first plane out of town due to their three-game losing streak, but he's not going anywhere. Drew Willy has been an excellent backup to Durant, but he's a free agent at the end of the year as well.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Blue and Gold have the league's worst quarterback situation, with four pivots on the roster who have a grand total of eight starts among them. If Max Hall has a decent finish to the season the Bombers might want to keep him around as insurance, but it likely won't matter who they protect. Maybe the Redblacks should let the Bombers take one of their quarterbacks on Dec. 17.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

This is an intriguing one. Henry Burris is set to become a free agent in February, so would Ottawa even want to bother? Then again, would Burris even want to pick up and go start an expansion franchise at the age of 38? I'm guessing the Ticats sign him to a new deal, protect him and hope Ottawa ignores backup Dan LeFevour, who might also be a free agent, when stocking their QB stable.

Toronto Argonauts

It's actually a question now, even though one of the options is a three-time Grey Cup winner who is still only 33 years old and goes by the name of Ricky Ray. That's because in the last two weeks Zach Collaros has gone into Regina and Calgary and just won both games. He's everyone favourite quarterback now. Even though Ray has missed significant time due to injuries the past two seasons, however, he's still the one they should protect. Also, Collaros is a free agent in February. So they should trade Collaros to the Bombers for a small fortune that would be contingent on him signing a long-term deal with Winnipeg. The Bombers can then protect him, and they're going to the West Division anyway, so the Boatmen won't be trading him to a division rival.

Montreal Alouettes

Their QB situation is an absolute mess right now, with Anthony Calvillo and Tanner Marsh on the nine-game injured list. The Als will probably protect Marsh, who showed the most promise this season, and it's unlikely Ottawa would even bother taking Calvillo considering his health status and the very good chance that his career is over.

QUICK HITS

The Alouettes on Tuesday announced if they have to host a playoff game this year, they will do so at Molson Stadium instead of Olympic Stadium. The Als said it's what their fans wanted, although this year it appears a home playoff game won't be happening in Montreal for only the third time since they returned to Montreal in 1996 ... Speaking of the Alouettes, they signed quarterback Nathan Enderle to serve as the third-stringer behind Josh Neiswander and Troy Smith, according to The Gazette ... The quote of the week comes from the commissioner, who, according to the Moncton Times and Transcript, didn't have the proper accreditation around his neck during Saturday's Touchdown Atlantic game in Moncton and was trying to get into the media area. A young security guard wouldn't let him in. "But I'm the commissioner of the CFL," Mark Cohon said. After another security guard recognized him and let him through, Cohon thanked the young woman for doing a good job ... The players of the week are Argos quarterback Zach Collaros (offence) and slotback Andre Durie (Canadian), Alouettes linebacker Chip Cox (defence) and Tiger-Cats kicker Brett Lauther, who was 4-for-4 in the field goal department in his CFL debut ... The Tiger-Cats signed offensive lineman Joel Reinders last week, just a couple days after the Argos released their 2010 draft pick ... Buck Pierce makes his return to Winnipeg this week as a member of the Lions. Max Hall will make his second straight start at quarterback for the Bombers.

POWER RANKINGS

1. (2) Toronto

No more doubting the Double Blue after wins in Regina and Calgary.

2. (1) Calgary

Fought and scrapped but couldn't hold on for the win against the Boatmen.

3. (3) B.C.

Tour de force by the defence and Thomas DeMarco showed guts in the end.

4. (4) Hamilton

Took them long enough, but they finally did enough to dump the depleted Als.

5. (5) Saskatchewan

Three losses in a row, but the last two have been by two points.

6. (7) Edmonton

Two wins in a row. But it was against the Bombers, so no exclamation point.

7. (6) Montreal

It's not good when your top two quarterbacks are on the nine-game injured list.

8. (8) Winnipeg

The good news? They had a 20-point lead. The bad news? They blew it.

THE WEEK AHEAD

B.C. at Winnipeg (+6)

The Leos defence is playing at a ridiculously high level right now. Lions by 10.

Calgary at Hamilton (-2.5)

The Tabbies should have taken them in Cowtown two weeks ago. Tiger-Cats by 4.

Toronto at Edmonton (even)

Can the Boatmen complete a perfect road trip? You betcha. Argonauts by 3.

Saskatchewan at Montreal (+3)

The reeling Alouettes will be just what the doctor ordered for Gang Green. Riders by 7.

PENTON'S PREDICTION

It's more of a wish than a prediction, but here's hoping the CFL can come up with a new way to determine quarterback victories. There are some who feel it shouldn't be a stat at all, but it's a good indicator of who plays well against which teams and they are like a starting pitcher in baseball. It's a legitimate stat.

The problem is you're considered the starter if you take the first snap. Therefore, Alouettes quarterback Josh Nieswander was credited with a win on Aug. 22, even though he left before the end of the first quarter and trailed the B.C. Lions 12-0. Tanner Marsh replaced him and guided the Als to the victory, so the win should be his.

The league needs a new formula. All suggestions welcome.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

"@TBrack41 If there is anything I can do to help you appeal the fine I will speak on your behalf."

The Roughriders slotback became the league's career receiving yards leader last year when he was still with the Lions and his next catch will move him past Alouettes great Ben Cahoon in the receptions category.

Cahoon and Simon both have 1,017 career catches. Coincidentally, Simon will likely break the record in Cahoon's old stomping grounds of Montreal since Saskatchewan plays there on Sunday afternoon.

It took a little time and he needed to get over an injury that caused him to miss three contests, but Simon has started to fit in nicely in Regina and has proven to those who may have doubted him that he's not yet over the hill. He has 401 yards and three touchdowns on 28 catches in nine games. That works out to a healthy 802 yards and six majors over a full season.

In other words, he is a solid fourth option for quarterback Darian Durant. Maybe they should go to Superman a little more to get out of their funk.

Whether or not they do, Simon has proven to be a solid addition in the Saskatchewan capital.

BY THE NUMBERS

2,016 -- Rushing yards Riders tailback Kory Sheets is projected to reach if he returns from injury this weekend and continues at his previous pace

17 -- Quarterbacks who have started games through two-thirds of this season

14 -- Quarterback who started games during the entire 2011 season

28 -- Completions of 30 yards or more by Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly, which leads the league

BOSS BLUNDER

Bombers head coach Tim Burke has been getting raked over the coals in Winnipeg this week for his decision late in the fourth quarter of his team's 35-27 overtime loss to the Eskimos on Friday.

The Eskimos had just tied the game on a Hugh O'Neill field goal and the Bombers had the Esks kick off instead of taking the ball at the 35-yard line. After returner Will Ford nearly allowed the Eskimos to recover the kickoff, the Bombers had the ball on their own 30-yard line with 22 seconds remaining.

Burke decided to take two knees to force overtime, which drew boos from the fans at the time and scathing criticism online in the days since.

One reason why Burke sat on the ball was because quarterback Max Hall was hurt and replacement Justin Goltz hadn't yet thrown a pass in the game. He figured more harm than good could come from going for it, and he thought the Bombers could win it in overtime.

He was wrong, and now he's feeling the wrath of Bomber Nation, which isn't happy with the 2-10 record and the lack of killer instinct in their head coach.

THE INSIDERS SAY

Toronto is good right now due to head coach Scott Milanovich and defensive co-ordinator Chris jones more than anything. They have sound schemes and good game plans ... Montreal should be at a disadvantage over their quarterback situation. Watch for Troy Smith soon ... The Lions defence is playing well. They are capitalizing on other teams' mistakes and forcing the issue ... Kory Sheets is the player whose absence due to injury is hurting his team the most ... If I was Toronto, I would protect Zach Collaros. Salary cap-wise it would be huge savings ... Toronto should still protect Ricky Ray. Collaros is a free agent and then you decided prior to that what the real plan is. You can't lose Ray for free ... If every quarterback was healthy in Calgary, I'd probably go with Drew Tate. But he never is, so it's Kevin Glenn ... The Eskimos will continue to do well. They have a dangerous offence with Fred Stamps, and they also have a strong defensive line ... Only needing a point or three, I thought Winnipeg taking a knee in the final minute on Friday night was quite conservative with their record and all ... It's only one game, but Thomas DeMarco is pretty poised and doesn't make mistakes. In saying that, Winnipeg should be much harder for him ... I wonder if Winnipeg is going to trade anybody ... The big question everyone is curious about is are the Tiger-Cats going to re-sign Henry Burris ... Running back Chevon Walker should be good trade bait for the Tiger-Cats if anybody needs him ... Tim Burke deciding to take a knee in the fourth quarter was not an issue at home. He was trying to get his team to regroup and didn't want to risk a bad play ... Saskatchewan is losing because of a few injuries and opposing teams are making plays now that they didn't before ... If Edmonton's quarterback play is better than Montreal's down the stretch, they could easily grab the crossover spot.

Poll

Which QB has the best chance of being picked by the expansion Ottawa Redblacks?

As Advertised in the Edmonton SUN

CFL teams to ponder protecting QBs for expansion draft

Two thirds of the CFL season is complete, so what better time to look ahead to the off-season?

Yes, it's time to play: Which Quarterback Would You Protect?

The Ottawa Redblacks will pluck players off the rosters of the other eight teams on Dec. 16 -- less than three months from now -- and those squads are able to protect only one quarterback. Most of them are obvious, but some scenarios have become a little more juicy lately considering how well the young backup quarterbacks have played.

There are other factors involved, like potential free agency, salary and age, so it becomes an interesting discussion. If a player's a free agent, Ottawa might be wary about taking him since he'll have a chance to leave two months later.

Let's take a look at all eight teams, going from west to east, and see what we can determine.